| Summary: | In the Salish Sea, as elsewhere, the recognition and re-establishment of traditional mariculture practices are linked to issues of food security, health, economic development, governance, and community engagement in heritage. The "Clam Garden Network" is a collaborative team of First Nations knowledge holders, archaeologists, and ecologists who focus on traditional marine resource management systems throughout the Northwest Coast. In several locations in the Salish Sea, we have 1) documented the location of ancient mariculture features (clam gardens and cleared beaches) and associated terrestrial archaeological sites; 2) conducted ecological surveys and experiments that suggest clam abundance, growth and survival are higher in extant clam gardens beaches than in other beaches; 3) collected zooarchaeological samples to assess ecological changes in ancient clam gardens; 4) recorded local knowledge about the social and ecological aspects of traditional mariculture; and 5) dated the construction of ancient mariculture features. Inter-disciplinary and inter-community efforts are an effective way to document traditional resource management systems, as well as situating them within current socio-political and ecological contexts.
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